ok guys so I need some pc guru help
After years of avoiding pc gaming I got back into it and love it again, I have building new rig using current stock hp pavilion that we got last year.

Well one thing led to another and piece by piece the rig has come together and works great, the only stock thing being used is the am3 micro atx m2n68-la narra6
I'm wanting to upgrade it now mainly due to the crappy bios lock that won't let you do anything.

What I'm wondering is if I upgrade the pegatron m2n68-la to a ASUS Crosshair IV Formula will I have to reinstall windows7? As if I do I'll have to purchase first.


Here's a rundown of what I'm running now
Coolermaster haf922 case
Corsair xms3 ddr3 mem x8gig
Corsair 850w power supply
Amd phenom2 x4 black edition
Coolermaster hyper h520 CPU cooler
Nvidia gtx 550 ti
210mm fans x3
120mm fans x2
92mm fans on CPU cooler x2
Nzxt sentry lx fan contoller
2 1tb Sata hard drives
1 blueray DVD

External
Razor black widow keyboard
Death adder
Razor headphones
Bose speakers
22" LCD hd Dell monitor

Thanks guys

So all the above will still be used just wanting to change mobo
Any and all thoughts welcome please

It is possible to make an old windows install from a different motherboard work. It is waaaayy more trouble than it's worth, and begs for instability issues.

Yes. You have to reinstall windows. Also, check the Asus site for that mobo's support for your processor and ram, although what you have should be fine. While I love the crosshair IV, unless you are planning massive SLI, there may be other boards whose slot layout and architecture will suit your needs better?

At the very least you will need a Windows CD to do a repair, but as CH4NCE said, a full reformat/install is the way to go.

Actually, there is no need to reinstall Windows. All you really need to do is replace any proprietary/system-specific motherboard or adapter drivers with the generic Microsoft equivalents in the device manager. For example, like this :



Then, you need to uninstall the above mentioned system-specific drivers. Also, uninstall any applications that may rely on said drivers.

Now, replace your motherboard and Windows should boot up in "generic" "VESA" mode and then install all your new drivers. Reboot, and you're done.

I've done this too many times to count and it has worked every time. Of course, with my primary Linux install, there are no issues like this since Linux dynamically detects and configures your hardware and any associated drivers it might need ( since most of them are built into the kernel ) upon each reboot, so a motherboard swap with Linux is a non-issue.

jdb2

To be sure, jdb2, but you've made my point. If OP is asking the question, he may not want to go the nuts and bolts route. And, truth, stability issues exist.

lol agree with linux brag.

Thanks for the help guys I really appreciate it.
I'll make install disk as my win7 is factory installed on hd and partitioned install for backup.

I was confused by the 800 sets that were yes if ur switching from amd to intel but and board to amd board no. Wife would kill me ifi screw up and no computer lol

One of the main reasons I chose this mobo is after looking it supports my ddr3 mem, am3 chip and supports all the amd chips from 85w up to 140w and up to hexacore.
I'm not into overclocking but I like that if I want I can.

My first thing to tackle is it seems like fans are running slow, and until I change board and bios I can use the CPU cooler as mobo won't recognize any CPU fan except the stock one, won't even accept the fan that came with new CPU. I read this is a nitemare with manufacture locked bios boards where u can't adjust fan settings ect.